'Dynast' Rahul can't defeat 'self-made' Modi: Ramachandra Guha's sharp remark
Historian Ramachandra Guha has joined the long list of critics of former Congress President Rahul Gandhi, going as far as saying that Kerala's Wayanad committed a disaster by electing him. He also said Rahul, who is a dynast, doesn't stand a chance in politics against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom Guha called "hardworking and self-made". PM's advantage is that he isn't Rahul, he added.
The acclaimed author was speaking on "Patriotism v/s. Jingoism" at Kerala's Kozhikode during the second day of the Kerala Literature Festival (KLF). Addressing the crowd, Guha said, "Kerala, you have done many wonderful things for India, but one of the disastrous thing you did was to elect Rahul Gandhi to the Parliament"; while underlining that he has nothing against "well-mannered" and "decent" Rahul.
"Young India does not want a fifth-generation dynast. If you Malayalees make the mistake of re-electing Rahul Gandhi in 2024 too, you are merely handing over an advantage to Narendra Modi," Guha went on.
Guha's sharp critic for Rahul stems from the fact that the Congress scion failed to retain his bastion, Amethi in last year's Lok Sabha polls. BJP's Smriti Irani defeated him, scripting history. Rahul went to Lok Sabha from Wayanad, another constituency that has traditionally voted for Congress. Amethi had previously elected Rahul's father late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to Parliament.
Guha, who is a staunch critic of the current regime, surprisingly spoke good things about PM Modi, saying the BJP leader's biggest advantage is that he isn't Rahul. "He is self-made. He has run a state for 15 years, he has administrative experience, he is incredibly hard-working and he never takes holidays in Europe. I am saying all this in all seriousness," Guha added.
Rahul's mother Sonia, who is currently heading Congress, was also not immune to Guha's blitzkrieg. Guha said, "India is becoming more democratic and less feudal, and the Gandhis just don't realize this. You (Sonia) are in Delhi, your kingdom is shrinking more and more but still, your chamchas (sycophants) are telling you that you are still the badshah. (sic)"
"Why does Modi always say Nehru ne Kashmir mein yeh kiya, China mein yeh kiya, Triple Talaq mein yeh kiya ... because Rahul Gandhi is there. Now if Rahul Gandhi disappears, Modi has to talk about his own policies," he added.
Recently, Guha crept into the news when he was detained in Bangalore for participating in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Before that, the historian came under attack from right-wing when ABVP, a student wing of RSS, said Guha shouldn't be allowed to teach in Ahmedabad. "We want intellectuals in our educational institutes and not anti-nationals," an ABVP functionary said back then.
